Hello, thanks for joining me. Here I’m going to explain what I’ve learnt about Colour (or Color) Pooling and give you some hint and tips to help you achieve some lovely pooling with a UK yarn.
Sometimes I look at a yarn and think I know exactly what to make with it. This was the case with Cygnet Pure Baby Prints yarn.
You are viewing: What Is Pooling Yarn
I’d already had a play with their solid Pure Baby yarn. Making a lovely chevron blanket, in bold colours, the perfect size for a pram/ pushchair.
>>>Get the Free Chevron Pattern here
The simplicty of bold stripes and not many ends to sew in was a winner!
You can get the free pattern here
This yarn is a proper premium acrylic and is so so soft. After I made the blanket I ordered a lot to make a cardigan in Biscuit…… which I will start soon (The idea is still there)!
When the lovely ladies as Cygnet asked if I’d like to have a play with the Pure Baby prints range I jumped at the chance.
A colour striping yarn, that is soft and squishy…. and not many ends to sew in had got to be a winner.
It didn’t disapoint!
I chose the Ocean Mist colourway, a mix of greens, blues, greys and beige but in varying amounts that change in a specific order.
>>>Check out the colour pooling yarn here
This was the key for me – each pattern repeat is defined by the yarn.
The Eureka moment for me – Colour Pooling!
It just had to be done. (At this point I should add I’d never tried colour pooling……..).
I learnt a lot!!!! (Also known as it didn’t work first time (or second, or third!)
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What is colour pooling?
It’s using the yarn and the colours in the yarn to give a defined pattern like a tweed or Tartan.
What yarns work?
Any yarn with defined colour changes – that stay the same length (this is important) – will colour pool.
There is a great Facebook Group Called Planned Pooling with Crochet that is well worth a look. They have a list in the files of what yarns will Colour Pool too (but Cygnet Pure Baby Prints being a new yarn hasn’t been tried yet).
I used Cygnet Pure Baby Prints.
Is tension important in colour pooling?
Interestingly, yes and no. You need some consistency with your stitches, but think more Looks vs technique for this. It’s more important to get the colours lined up, than it is to get the stitches the same size.
What stitches can you use to colour pool?
Most tutorials and groups I found used moss stitch to give a great colour pool.
Me being the lazy crocheter, wanted something that was going to get bigger quicker, so I went with Granny stripe using (US) double crochets.
>>>Get a free crochet baby jumper pattern here using this yarn
Can you just follow a pattern?
No – not really. This is the strange one – it’s not as simple as saying with yarn A ch 100. In the third chain from the hook, make 1 DC, skip 2 sts, 3 dc in the next *- repeat across.
(If only it was – I’d have finished this a lot sooner!).
I’m going to give you a little insight into my notes when I’m making now……
This is it – this is all I wrote about colour pooling – luckily I can still remember what I did (and didn’t do).
Colour Pooling – Hints and Tips
Make your starting chain with a different yarn to the colour pooling yarn.
Use a bigger hook than what the yarn suggests – this will prevent the bottom of the item curling.
Be prepared to undo (frog), and undo and undo multiple times!
The biggests thing that made this “Click” during the multiple attempts was
“You’re trying to move the pattern by 1 block each row”
You will need to adjust your tension and possibly hook size to achieve this.
Read more : What Is A Manhattan Steak
(How wrong does this sound for every pattern every written!)
What can go wrong colour pooling?
EVERYTHING!!!!
The picture above pretty much demonstrates what my crochet life was like for a good couple of weeks before it “clicked”
Top attempt- I thought I’d cracked it – only row 1 was out of line………I ummed and arrgghed about whether to frog it back, and that one cream block on the left just didn’t link it.
I now know attempt 1 only lines 1 and 3 were right – all the others were wrong and weren’t going to pool correctly.
Middle attempt – it’s not lining up from even the first row. You need to know the number of repeats you are expecting per colour and then manipulate them to be where they need to be.
Bottom attempt – it’s all in straight lines and all the same lines…… but…….
It’s not moving the pattern by 1 block each row
Epic fail.
To be honest at this point I stuffed it in a box and tried to forget about it.
Then my need to prove I could do it got the better of me.
Find more of my free designs here
I persevered…. and persevered
and I actually cracked it!
Take a look at the picture above. Every other row, the light blue moves I section over to the right. (as does the beige….. and every other colour in the blanket).
Can you see it?
Can you see the diagonals of colour starting to move at exactly the right time?
Just look at the top, creams and greens – all moving exactly when they should do!
Cygnet Pure Baby prints will colour pool.
Not exactly a pattern, but the rules you need to follow for Ocean Mist Cygnet Pure baby Prints.
Start with a different yarn (I used pure baby in silver), and chain 159 with a 4.5mm hook.
Switch to a 4mm hook (or the hook that will give you these counts).
Switch to your colour pooling yarn BUT you need to start the yarn in the correct place.
For me – this was the Dark green – which is one of the smaller colour repeats. You need to unwind the ball to get to the whole length of this colour – then fold it in half, and make a slip knot in the middle. Join to the ch you have made with the other yarn
In the 4th chain from the hook make 3 DC, * Skip 2 ch, 3 dc in the next ch. Repeat from * across. Finishing in the last chain with 1 DC. Turn. Ch 3
IMPORTANT – Row 1
The colour repeat you are looking for.
1 dc, 3 “sets” of dcs (1 set = 3 dc) in dark green.
6 sets of cream
9 sets of grey
15 sets teal
6 sets light blue
9 sets beige
3 sets + 1 dc of the same green you started with.
You will need to adjust both your tension and possibly your hook size to achieve this.
Learn how to C2C crochet here
Row 2
Read more : What Are The Duolingo Leagues
3 sets dark green
6 sets cream,
9 sets of grey
15 sets teal
6 sets light blue
9 sets beige
4 sets dc of the same green you started with. Turn
Get a handy stair basket pattern here – for free
Row 3
ch 3 and 2 sets dc dark green
6 sets of cream
9 sets of grey
15 sets teal
6 sets light blue
9 sets beige
4 sets + 1 dc of the same green you started with.
Continue these repeats, moving the repeats by 1 block each time.
Row 4
5 dark green
6 sets of cream
9 sets of grey
15 sets teal
6 sets light blue
9 sets beige
2 sets of the same green you started with.
And so on………..
Note: when you come to needing another ball of yarn – make sure you line up the colour change.
See how nicely all the colour changes line up?
Beautiful diagnol lines making a nice stripy pattern – using the natural stripes of the yarn to achieve this.
If you have a go – please tag me on Instagram @offthehookforyou as I love seeing what everyone is making.
Enjoy
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